Let’s talk about the liver
By Marcos Otero, Gulf Coast Immediate Care Center, Fort Walton Beach, FL
Over the last several months, I have seen an increase in the number of patients with abnormal liver tests. The liver is so important that I will divide liver diseases over several articles. This month we will discuss the functions and importance of the liver and over the following year, I will discuss some of the diseases and the symptoms of disease.
The liver is in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, below the diaphragm. Weighing in at around 3 pounds, the liver is the body’s second largest organ; only the skin is larger and heavier. The liver performs many essential functions related to digestion, metabolism, immunity, and the storage of nutrients within the body. These functions make the liver a vital organ without which the tissues of the body would quickly die from lack of energy and nutrients.
The liver is important in the process of digestion. It produces bile, which is a mixture of water, bile salts, cholesterol, and bilirubin. When fatty foods leave the stomach and enter the duodenum, bile is released into the duodenum where it breaks large masses of fat into smaller pieces that are therefore easier for the body to digest.
Detoxification. As blood from the digestive organs passes through the liver’s circulation, the liver cells monitor the contents of the blood and remove many potentially toxic substances before they can reach the rest of the body. Toxins include alcohol, medication, and body toxins.
The liver provides storage of many essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals obtained from blood passing through it. Glucose is transported into liver cells by insulin and stored. Liver cells also absorb and store fatty acids from digested triglycerides. The liver also stores vitamins and minerals—such as vitamins A, D, E, K, and B-12, and the minerals iron and copper.
The liver produces prothrombin, fibrinogen, and albumins. Prothrombin and fibrinogen are involved in the formation of blood clots. Albumins are proteins that maintain the equilibrium of the blood so that cells of the body do not gain or lose water in the presence of body fluids.
The liver provides immunity capturing and digesting bacteria, fungi, parasites, worn-out blood cells, and cellular debris. The large volume of blood passing through the liver allows the liver cells to clean large volumes of blood very quickly.
The liver is a major component to our health’s wellbeing. Any damage to it can cause multiple serious problems. There are many different reasons the liver can be damaged. Make sure you read during this year the symptoms of a sick liver and the diseases that can cause it to fail.
